


Today It Means Yes

by SmallishWormMasterOfTheUniverse



Category: Pacific Rim, Pacific Rim: Uprising
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, anyway, i don't know what loccent stands for and at this point i'm too afraid to ask, post pcu, what the fuck are you people up to, why did hermann goring come up when i typed hermann g
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 09:05:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18362882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmallishWormMasterOfTheUniverse/pseuds/SmallishWormMasterOfTheUniverse
Summary: Even though they haven’t discussed their (confusing) feelings since their last-ditch drift, neither of them can deny the sheer amount of relief that floats in the space between them. And of late, Hermann thinks, there has not been much space between them.After Newt gets out from under the Precursors' control, he and Hermann admit their feelings for each other with a side of gentle, loving mockery.





	Today It Means Yes

**Author's Note:**

> In a movie full of ridiculous lines, this one stuck out to me for some reason. Also, shout out to http://www.phrontistery.info/a.html for all the weird words I could ever want (one).
> 
> Also, for how Newt found out that Hermann even said this, because he was standing on top of a building (??) during Hermann's big moment, he either saw it in the drift OR picked it up from people constantly whispering it behind Hermann's back and then snickering into their hands as he and Newt were hanging around the PPDC.

They manage not to argue for a full three days after Newton -- as he puts it -- “gets his head back.” Even though they haven’t discussed their (confusing) feelings since their last-ditch drift that forced the Precursors out of Newton’s head, neither of them can deny the sheer amount of relief that floats in the space between them. And of late, Hermann thinks, there has not been much space between them.

Currently, Newt is pressed up against him on their old lab couch, humming softly as he paints his nails black for what might be the first time in ten years. Hermann is able to mostly ignore how ridiculously out of tune he is as he works calmly on a crossword puzzle, and he thinks nothing of asking Newt for the definition of what appears to be an obscure biology term. (47 down).

“Newton,” he says, “what does ‘acetarious’ mean?”

“Today,” says Newt, and then pauses, apparently for dramatic affect, “it means yes.”

“Oh, please,” Hermann sighs. “I’m trying to -- wait. Did you just quote me?”

“I don’t know,” says Newt, smiling  _ very  _ mischievously as he fans his drying nails, “are you Doctor Hermann Gottlieb, War Hero Scientist and Dropper-of-Cool-Lines Extraordinaire?” 

“I’m not--” Hermann somehow knows that he is not going to be able to finish his crossword puzzle today “-- it wasn’t a  _ cool line,  _ I was -- managing expectations.”

Newt snorts. “Managing expectations. Yeah, okay. But,” he continues, testing the tackiness of his nails on the back of Hermann’s hand (they’re still wet) “you  _ are  _ right that it wasn’t a cool line.”

“It-- it wasn’t?” says Hermann, not sure why he’s asking.

“Well, I mean,” Newt says quickly, “it was cool for  _ you.  _ But in general no, not that-- no.”

Hermann crosses his arms. “What do you mean, cool for  _ me?” _

“Oh, no dude, I didn’t mean--” Newton’s rambling now, unexpectedly nervous for the situation at hand. “Like, it’s not that you’re  _ not  _ cool, it’s just that you’re, you know. A physicist.” He says ‘physicist’ as though he expects Hermann to naturally comprehend the great weight of  _ uncoolness  _ implied by the word, and Hermann raises an eyebrow to complement his crossed arms. “No!” Newt yells, verging on panic. “It’s just like, you know, what’s cool for you is different than what’s cool for everybody else, you’re still cool, you’re very cool, you’re the  _ coolest--” _

“Newton,” says Hermann, so suddenly he surprises even himself. “May I kiss you?”

Newt freezes, and for a heartstopping moment Hermann thinks he’s done something wrong, but then a slow smile begins to spread its way across his face. “In theory,” he finally says, gently bringing his hand to rest on the side of Hermann’s jaw.

Hermann suppresses a sigh, because of course Newton  _ would  _ make fun of him even as he’s about to kiss him, but he can’t help feeling oddly charmed, all the same. “What does ‘in theory’ mean?” he asks softly.

“Today,” Newton murmurs as he pulls Hermann closer, brings their faces together until he’s whispering against Hermann’s lips, “it means yes.”

….

Hermann later finds out that acetarious means ‘referring to plants that are used in salads’, and in fact has nothing to do with Newton’s field of study at all. Curled up against the man, however, with one hand tangled in his hair, he finds he can’t really bring himself to mind.


End file.
